Message development, social media strategies, and speaker/media training for individuals and groups, so you don't get caught unprepared, speechless or without a message. I'm Washington, DC-based communications consultant Denise Graveline. Want to pick my brain or get a sense of how I work? Do it here.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Maybe your branding used to include a toll-free number or a website URL. But evidence is mounting that a hashtag or QR code are today's version of the brand signature, the key that takes a casual viewer or reader directly to your website, call center or discussion. And integrating the codes into mainstream media of all kinds, from print to broadcast, helps engage and retain audiences and boost the use of what you're publicizing.

Thoughtful use of hashtags also can boost engagement and viewers.Comedy Central's recent roast of Donald Trump featured the hashtag #TrumpRoast in the bottom right corner of the screen. The small but consistently used hashtag yielded "35,000 #TrumpRoast Tweets during the 90-minute roast. That’s an average of 6.5 Tweets per second throughout the show," according to this post on the Twitter Media blog. That doesn't include more tweets that omitted the hashtag, but tweets with the #TrumpRoast hashtag made up a larger proportion of the total, due to the on-air reminder. More to the point: It was Comedy Central's highest Tuesday night rating in the channel's history. Here's another case study of how BBC used a hashtag for all of its tweets about the budget debate in the UK, and how it benefited from keeping the tag onscreen. The Donald's hashtag looked like this on screen, lower left. It's subtle but effective, and you can do the same by watermarking your videos, photos and other offerings with a related hashtag:

Are you using QR codes and hashtags to serve as your signature or "for more information" link? Share your examples with us.

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2 comments:

Lot of good suggestions and examples here. I'd just add one more. The Communications Network blog recently featured Rebecca Noricks, communications manager, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, talking (on video) about how she decided to incorporate QR codes that would link readers of its annual report to related videos. As interesting as the idea is, what makes it even more notable is that the inspiration came from reading a design magazine that was using QR codes to engage readers. Check out the blog and video post here.

Thanks for the tips for using QR. In fact, your article was timed perfectly for I am just finishing the cover for my book "Face-to-Face Networking It's all about Communication." My cover will have my QR on it.